written . For example , if you need a sales letter , it would make sense to see samples of sales letters from your potential copywriter .
It is extremely helpful if your copywriter has written in your industry . For example if you ’ re writing a “ make money online ” letter , look for someone who has written in that industry as well .
However , this should not be the “ be-all , end-all ” of whether or not you should hire a particular copywriter . If their copy is good , then they know how to perform the research necessary to make the letter a success ... no matter the niche .
In other words , don ’ t dig yourself in a hole by only looking for someone who has written 1-page flyers for the Forex market ... for example . It ’ s rare to find a copywriter who has written the exact marketing piece you need so you could be looking a long time !
2 . Make Sure They Have A Website
In my opinion if you ’ re in any business and you take it seriously , you should have a website . Yes , there
If you want Kevin to write your copy , go to www . KevinHillCopy . com ! are some copywriters who work full-time for agencies and mailing houses and they don ’ t need a promotional website . Heck , I didn ’ t have a website myself when I was working for Russell . He kept me pretty busy and I didn ’ t need to look for extra work .
However , if you ’ re hiring a freelance copywriter , they should have a website . It ’ s a sign they take their business seriously . Further , you can get a hint of how good their copy is by looking at the copy they use to sell themselves on their site .
Selling oneself as a copywriter is the hardest thing to do ... and if reading their website makes you salivate to hire them , chances are they will write an ad that ’ ll make customers salivate for your product or service as well !
3 . Get Them On The Phone
In today ’ s world of instant messages , texts , Skype , and email , talking to people on the phone has become almost extinct . There are some jobs I ’ ve done where I ’ ve never talked to my client at all on the phone - and it was a rather weird experience for me .
If you ’ re hiring a copywriter , my recommendation is to get them on the phone . Talk to them about your project and you can tell quickly if they know what they ’ re doing when it comes to writing copy .
This should take place after you ’ ve evaluated several copywriters and are seriously considering hiring one person . Don ’ t waste the copywriter ’ s time just “ chit-chatting ” if you ’ re not seriously considering hiring them ; otherwise , you ’ re just wasting their time . You simply contact the copywriter and say you have a project that needs copy and are considering hiring them and you ’ d like to get them on the phone to ask them several questions .
You ’ ll get a good idea of the copywriter ’ s demeanor and whether or not they would be easy to work with by talking on the phone . Depending in the size of the project , there could be three to four phone conversations between the two of you and it ’ s important you have good rapport with your copywriter .
If the copywriter doesn ’ t want to talk to you on the phone , or attempts to charge you for the time for an initial phone consultation , my advice is to run . If the
38 | September 2011 www . DotComSecrets . com